I’ve been meaning to talk more about lingerie, which I enjoy and have just as many opinions about as any other style category. Really I think I’ve only done this post, on bras I like for small breasts, which is my sort. Here, finally, is a beginning, though an atypical one. Almost all of my bras are black or beige but in this instance I made an exception.

My neutral preference is partly practical, bright colors often don’t work under tops, obtrusive and not so versatile, and partly personal…I just find it more to my taste, more sophisticated, more clean and simple to have a limited palette when it comes to underthings. Easy for it to match, as a bonus, which I do find appealing (though I’m not militant about it, as you see here), regardless of whether or not there is an audience.

L’Agent Provocateur, Vanessa bra

With more expensive brands (which can be very worthwhile when it comes to lingerie), though, I’m often looking at styles from previous seasons, and bright colors are more likely to be on sale and in stock in my size(s), so this was one of those playful purchases. L’Agent Provocateur is usually too elaborate for me—too “sexy”—but now and then they have something simple.* I am not really interested in being sexy in that way, I find, or, more accurately I don’t think it is that sexy, and I’m wearing it for myself, after all.

Sexy is a silly word, often, and not one in the forefront of my mind (or even seriously in my vocabulary, my personal vocabulary of words that are useful for me), though I do have other concepts in the forefront, I would say, that could coincidentally translate to it. A slightly undone elegance, a natural freshness, a careless insouciance…these things I might strive to achieve.

*If this bra didn’t have the tiny ribbons on it—which I really don’t get at all, this need for tiny ribbons on bras and underwear—it would be just right. I plan to take them off.

In this case I just got the bra in black as well. When lingerie works (fits), I tend to take advantage. My underwear is black, white, or beige, and typically briefs, though sometimes boyshorts, and typically cotton. You are dying to know this, no?** These are Victoria’s Secret (not bad for basics, if you skip over the logo-heavy/tacky stuff, I’ve featured a bunch of their swimwear), though I’m really liking the brand Commando at the moment.

**Let’s talk about bodies later, too. For now: this is my current body. Some of it, anyway. Bodies cannot be too much of a surprise, can they? Clothes only conceal so much.

I have functional T-shirt bras as well but a little lace, a little silk here and there…these can be pleasant indeed.

Once you’ve got lace and silk, you may as well add pearls. This beautiful peacock freshwater tin cup necklace is from the Etsy shop LiliasTreasures (which I’ve mentioned before, here, here, and here), currently sold out but her work is lovely.

The earrings are stunning rose-toned gold metallic ripple pearls from the UK shop Pearlescence, also wonderful, with excellent customer service.

My sister recently married her long-time boyfriend and had a beautiful ceremony at the historic Hawthorne Hotel in Salem, MA. The two of them are both unabashed geeks, and the whole event was saturated in geekery in the best way, from the bridal party gifts like this heart glass to the handmade game and/or comic themed terrarium centerpieces. I was the maid of honor, to be sure, and did hair and makeup for her as well, using my modest makeup powers as a force of good.

Paper flower bouquets and boutonnieres, the bouquets custom made from Harry Potter books, the boutonniers from Hitchhiker’s Guide to the Galaxy. Ah, Etsy.

After a session of experimenting (months before) the bride made the bold and excellent choice of Lancome’s Rouge in Love Fiery Attitude for her lipstick. Lovely, no? This lipstick can do no wrong in my eyes. The lace hair ribbon is handmade, Etsy again. She didn’t want to wear much makeup, so actually there wasn’t much to this job.

And do you know, I’d never been in a photobooth before? I don’t even know where you would find one aside from a wedding or fair, or perhaps a mall somewhere. Quite fun, though. This was the official guest book for the event. A massive hit with the whole room, with a near constant line of people wanting to go again and again with different configurations of people. There were many geeky props. Really entertaining to browse through the book of photos later.

And every guest got to make their own Lego figurine from a buffet of body parts and accessories. Mine has a kind of Lara Croft thing going, I think.

My brother. 18. Pretty adorable.

I haven’t seen the photographer’s photos yet but will share some, maybe, when they come out. I didn’t get many of myself/my outfit with my camera but this shows the general look and color scheme going on. It was absolutely freezing outside, by the way.

This kind of easy, beachy look is a good example of a summer uniform for me: bikini top, loose sleeveless thing over top (if there can be an ancient Athenian garb situation going on, so much the better), trusty gladiators, piles of rings and bracelets, tote-scale bag.

This is a simple, no makeup makeup look, using a few new favorites and a few old favorites. Bioderma Photoderm, a tinted moisturizer/spf, is very sheer and natural, a bit like Origins VitaZing in texture. There is a regular (untinted) version that is also really nice, lovely texture. MAC Huggable lipcolor in Love Beam (already sold out it seems, quelle surprise), much blotted, Tarte cheek stain in Blissful, a peachy pink that adds instant freshness to the face (mine is so well used nearly all the text has worn off, and this is the old packaging because these things last forever). Josie Maran Argan Illuminizer, my current favorite highlighter, which is saying a lot given the formidable competition, which competition includes this MAC bronzing powder Nude on Board (also sold out but available here). More on highlighters soon.

American Apparel drawstring dress, garland from Etsy, Seafolly Neo Tribe bikini (new, really incredibly tiny on the bottom, Brazilian-style, I like. Not looking like it’s going to see a beach this summer, unfortunately), French market basket, Ray Ban aviators.

While white linen is extremely likely to show any markings and certain to become hopelessly rumpled, there is something about it I cannot resist. Even (and especially) wrinkled all to hell, I think white linen looks great. More so than linen in other colors, somehow.

*This was the second style I chose to fulfill the envelope clutch quest I mentioned a few posts ago. I’m tempted to go for this kind of honey, cognac shade every time, virtually independent of context. So predictable.